Trump says US troops to stay near Iran, warns of escalation if deal collapses

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1121 EAT on Thursday 9 April 2026

United States President Donald Trump has signalled that American forces will remain positioned around Iran, warning of a forceful response if Tehran does not comply with Washington’s demands — raising new concerns about the stability of a tenuous ceasefire.

In a social media post late on Wednesday, Trump said US troops, aircraft and naval assets would remain on standby until what he called the “real agreement” is fully enforced.

US President Donald Trump has said American ships, aircraft and military personnel will remain deployed “in and around” Iran until what he described as a “real agreement” is fully honoured, warning of a swift and forceful response if it is not.

“All US ships, aircraft, and military personnel … will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late on Wednesday.

He added that failure to meet the terms would trigger immediate military action, saying: “If for any reason it is not … the ‘shooting’ starts — bigger, better and stronger than anyone has ever seen before.”

The remarks came a day after a two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, brokered by Pakistan, paused six weeks of fighting and briefly eased global market concerns over potential disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

However, Trump’s comments underscored the fragility of the truce. He reiterated US demands that Iran abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons and guarantee safe passage through the strategic shipping route. He also suggested US forces remained on high alert, saying they were “loaded up and resting” while awaiting developments.

Meanwhile, in Iran on Thursday, the semi-official ISNA and Tasnim news agencies published a chart indicating that the country’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had deployed sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict.

The chart marked a “danger zone” over the Traffic Separation Scheme — the main shipping lane through the strait — and suggested vessels divert further north, closer to Iran’s mainland near Larak Island. This route was reportedly used by some ships during the fighting.

Dated between 28 February and 9 April, the chart did not make clear whether any of the mines have since been cleared.

In Tehran, many Iranians are questioning whether diplomacy can endure under the shadow of continued US threats and Israel’s ongoing military campaign across the region.

“If even one day passes without killing and bloodshed, that would be very good. It would make us happy. I swear to God, when I saw all this killing, I was so upset, I couldn’t even stay in my own home,” one woman told Al Jazeera.

Others were more sceptical. One man dismissed the truce outright, pointing to Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon. “A ceasefire has no meaning at all when our martyred leader has not even been buried yet, and when the rules of war are still being violated,” he said.

Another resident was blunt in his assessment: “It’s all a theatrical show that Trump is playing. We have no belief in this ceasefire.”

The ceasefire itself remains fraught with uncertainty. Tehran has rejected a sweeping US proposal and instead tabled its own demands, including an end to Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the lifting of sanctions — conditions Washington has yet to accept.

Despite the tensions, there were tentative signs of diplomatic engagement. Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, briefly said on social media that a delegation would travel to Islamabad for talks with US representatives “based on 10 points proposed by Iran,” before deleting the post.

The development coincided with an unexpected announcement by authorities in the Pakistani capital, who declared two days of local holidays on Wednesday without explanation.

Meanwhile, Israel has taken steps that could further strain the truce. While appearing to support Washington’s pause in direct strikes on Iran, it has intensified its assault on Lebanon, launching some of its deadliest attacks in months and reportedly killing at least 182 people in a single day.

The escalation has drawn warnings from Tehran that continuing negotiations under such conditions may be “unreasonable”.
In the United States, opposition to the conflict is also growing. Senator Cory Booker said Democrats would seek to force a vote under the War Powers Resolution to curb what he described as unauthorised military action.

“Trump’s unauthorised military actions and reckless war-mongering must stop,” Booker said. “The American people do not want and have not authorised this war, yet they continue to bear its cost.”

-Aljazeera

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